Elections in the US: Serbia’s History of Miscalculation



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The old diplomatic rule that elections in a country are an internal affair has been violated when it comes to American elections, as many world statesmen have openly decided and supported Biden or Trump. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić did not come forward officially, but he unofficially helped Trump by signing a deal in front of him at the White House, which Trump later used as an argument in the campaign. In fact, it was the second time in a row that Serbia unofficially supported a candidate who lost the elections in the United States.

So it was in 2016, on the eve of the elections in which the competitors were Hillary Clinton and, many thought, an outsider, Donald Trump.

The then Prime Minister of Serbia decided to go to Clinton Foundation Annual Convention. He received a pat on the shoulder from the former US president, and when he returned to Serbia, RTS journalist Gorislav Papić tried to ask him if it was smart to be somehow ahead of the American elections.

Papic: Do you associate with them?

“Because I’m smart. Unlike those who will yell in Serbian newspapers: Wow, this or that. What will we do if Hillary Clinton wins? Do you want to rule out that possibility?” Vucic said on RTS at the time.

Hillary Clinton lost, and Serbia then built a relationship with President Trump’s new administration from scratch for four years. The culmination of these new relationships came just before the 2020 elections. In the middle of the campaign, by signing the agreement at the White House, President Vučić gave Trump a foreign policy point before his confrontation with Joe Biden. .

“I am sincerely grateful to you and your people who successfully brought us together here,” Vucic said at the time.

Two months later, in light of the latest circumstances, President Vučić congratulated Joseph Biden, wishing him to continue to improve relations between the two countries. Although in a statement to the national media, Vučić claimed that Trump would be better for Serbia.

“It may not be unreasonable for Serbia to mainly support Donald Trump, but it seems that Serbia’s support went back to the wrong candidate, and now the question is how much the future Biden administration will take that as wrong,” says Mladen Lisanin. of the Institute of Political Studies.

Long-term correspondent for the Brussels Beta agency, Dragan Blagojevic he thinks that the Biden administration will not retaliate, but rather take a pragmatic stance towards Serbia and the benefits that the Washington agreement brings.

“Without a doubt, after all, as Biden or one of his associates said, there are good things. Why not, if the economic cooperation is good, it will remain. So, I think a good part of what has been achieved will be” Low Biden, it will continue because I see no reason why the provisions on the economy will not be implemented, “says Blagojevic.

A series of erroneous judgments and expectations of the elections in the United States is not only characteristic of the last two electoral cycles. In 1996, Serbia mainly supported Bill Clinton against Republican Bob Dole, followed by an attack in 1999. In 2004, the majority opinion in Serbia was that it was important for George W. Bush to defeat John Kerry, because if Kerry wins, he will recognize to Kosovo, which Bush did later.



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